The present application relates to an electrical measuring container configured to measure electrical properties of a biological sample in a liquid phase, and more particularly, an electrical measuring container having a structure configured to precisely measure electrical properties of a biological sample in a liquid phase and enabling easy industrial production, and an electrical measuring apparatus and an electrical measuring method using the electrical measuring container.
Measurement of electrical properties of a biological sample in a liquid phase, determination of physical properties of the sample from the measurement result, and discrimination of a kind of cell or the like included in the sample, and so on, are performed (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2009-042141). The measured electrical properties may be complex permittivity or frequency dispersion (a dielectric spectrum) thereof. The complex permittivity or the frequency dispersion is generally calculated by measuring a complex capacitance and complex impedance between electrodes using a solution retainer or the like including the electrodes configured to apply a voltage to a solution.
In addition, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2010-181400, a technology of obtaining information related to blood coagulation from permittivity of blood is disclosed, and “a blood coagulation system analysis device including a pair of electrodes, an application unit configured to apply an alternating current voltage to the pair of electrodes at predetermined time intervals, a measurement unit configured to measure the permittivity of the blood disposed between the pair of electrodes, and an analysis unit configured to analyze a level of function of the blood coagulation system using the permittivity of the blood measured at the time intervals after an action of the anticoagulant agent functioned in the blood is released” is disclosed.
When the electrical properties of the biological sample of the liquid phase are measured, as a container configured to accommodate the biological sample, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-052906 discloses a sample cartridge having a cylindrical body made of an insulating material, configured to hold the liquid sample in a region including surfaces of electrodes inserted into an inner hole from both of end openings and a surface of the inner hole, and in which a constriction section disposed between the two opposite electrodes and formed by constricting the inner hole is installed at that region, measuring electrical properties of a liquid sample.
Here, in order to measure the electrical properties of the biological sample in the liquid phase, a measuring electrode should come in contact with the biological sample in the liquid phase. In the related art, measurement is performed in a state in which the biological sample in the liquid phase is accommodated in the container to which the measuring electrode is adhered and fixed. However, in this method, for example, when the electrical properties of the blood as a biological sample are measured, coagulation activity of the blood may be accelerated according to the kind of used adhesive agent, and may exert an influence on objective measurement.
In addition, even when an adhesive agent having low coagulability is temporarily used, since manufacturing processes for manufacturing the container are increased, productivity may be degraded.
Meanwhile, as a method not using the adhesive agent, for example, a method of measuring electrical properties in a state in which electrodes are inserted from the outside into a container configured to accommodate a biological sample is performed. However, in this method, a measurement error may occur due to a difference in insertion amount of the electrodes into the liquid sample.
In addition, since configurations of external apparatuses are increased, the apparatus is increased in size, the manufacturing process is complicated, and the apparatus is increased in price.